Terrance Knighton may be 335 pounds or so but he’s not so big he can’t appreciate the local media recognizing him as a good guy.

The Broncos’ defensive tackle received the 2014 Darrent Williams Good Guy Award as voted by the Denver chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. The award is named after Williams, the charismatic, two-year starting Broncos’ cornerback who was slain in a drive-by shooting hours after the final game of the 2006 season.

The key to the award is to be accountable and available in good times and in bad.

“It’s an honor, especially when the award is named after a player — sad story what happened to him but it’s a great honor,” Knighton said. “Obviously, he was a great guy in the locker room, great player, showed up to work every day with enthusiasm and that’s what I try to do and model myself after. I appreciate you guys for embracing me in Denver and all the good things you say, all the bad things you say, I appreciate it. It helps me on the field, and it’s an honor. It’s like my first award in the NFL really so I appreciate you guys and thanks.”

Entering the draft, the Broncos had an eye on selecting the heir apparent to Bailey, who turns 35 next month, with their No. 28 overall pick.

But the top four corners went off the board from No. 9 overall, where Dee Milliner went to the Jets, to No. 25, when Xavier Rhodes was selected by the Vikings. The Broncos were particularly hoping for the 6-foot-2 Rhodes, but when he was gone, the next best player on their board was DT Sylvester Williams.

The Broncos are inducting Rod Smith on Alumni weekend and among the players who returned for the ceremony was Nick Ferguson, the former strong safety for both the Broncos and Houston Texans.

Looking like he could still play, Ferguson was in the north tunnel just off the field prior to the game between his former teams Sunday.

Ferguson wore No. 25 with the Broncos yet he is wearing a Broncos’ No. 27 jersey today. I asked him why he was wearing Steve Atwater’s jersey. Ferguson turned around and showed that the name on the back was “Darrent Williams.” The first name was spelled out as it was during Williams’ second season, so as to not confuse him with linebacker D.J. Williams.

“I wanted to make sure Darrent was in the building today,” Ferguson said.

Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting in the wee hours of Jan. 1, 2007. Ferguson, a close friend and teammate, got married a few hours later that same day.

The Broncos have always had one safety who could tackle but in John Lynch and Nick Ferguson during the 2005-06 seasons they had two.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Rosalind Williams, mother of the late Darrent Williams, a two-year starting cornerback for the Broncos until he was killed in a drive-bye shooting on Jan. 1, 2007, will attend the Broncos-Dallas Cowboys’ game Thursday night at Cowboys Stadium.

Rosalind, who lives just outside Fort Worth in the same home Darrent bought her with his rookie signing bonus money, will attend the game as a guest of the Cowboys, who also reached out after her son was slain.

I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say the jury’s decision to find Willie Clark guilty on all counts in the murder of Darrent Williams is the most exciting news to hit Broncoland since the team reached the AFC Championship Game following the 2005 season.

Let there be no doubt, Broncos fans, Darrent Williams’ murder had a profound impact on Denver’s organization. It has never been quite the same at Dove Valley since the horrific New Year’s night hours after the team’s final regular-season loss on Dec. 31, 2006.

The guilty verdicts will not bring the great D-Will back. We know that. But now, some closure. It’s over. No more looking back. Broncoland can now move forward.

I’m happy for Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who gave a stirring testimony at Williams’ memorial service in Texas. I’m happy for Champ Bailey, who I watched fall out of line, unable to follow the long procession of Broncos who visited Darrent’s open casket. I’m happy for Tatum Bell, who cried while trying to talk about his former college and Broncos teammate, and John Lynch, whose testimony was memorable.

I’m happy for Jeff Griffin and Troy Asmus, who as Darrent’s agent/marketing reps, continued to serve him three years later. More than three years after Darrent left our world, Asmus and Griff took turns sitting beside Rosalind, Darrent’s mom, each day in the Denver courtroom during the Willie Clark trial.

I’m happy for my colleague Bill Williamson, who was closer than most of us were to Darrent Williams, which is why he represented the media while speaking at his service.

And I’m ecstatic for Rosalind, Darrent’s mom. If you’re driving by the Darrent Williams Memorial Teen Center in Montbello, or just thinking of the Broncos’ cornerback who will remain forever young in our minds and hearts, this might be the time to make a donation.

Bailey, who getting ready for his 12th NFL season, sixth with the Broncos, and Lynch, who retired in 2008 following 15 NFL seasons, will co-chair a fundraiser for the Darrent Williams Teen Center in September.

Brandon Marshall is traveling to Seattle to speak with the Seahawks on Saturday.

Broncos star receiver and restricted free agent Brandon Marshall will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, according to two NFL sources.

Marshall recently received a first-round tender from the Broncos.

For a myriad of reasons, Marshall would like to move on from the Broncos. His last three seasons have been both highly productive (at least 101 catches in each) and tumultuous. He held out from the team’s offseason workouts last year and issued a trade request.

This time, the Broncos may be getting close to accommodating Marshall’s desire to leave. The Seahawks have both the financial wherewithal to submit an attractive contract proposal to induce Marshall into signing an offer sheet, and they also two first-round draft picks, one of which can be used to prevent the Broncos from matching the offer.

Although other teams have expressed interest in Marshall, Seattle makes more sense than any other in part because former Broncos’ play caller Jeremy Bates and former receivers coach Jedd Fisch are now with the Seahawks. Marshall was a big fan of both coaches in 2008 when he had 104 catches in 15 games.

And the Seahawks just let receiver Nate Burleson leave for free agency and Detroit. The Broncos did offer Marshall a multi-year contract last summer worth approximately $9.5 million a season. Marshall rejected the proposal in part because the contract structure had relatively little money upfront, but mostly because the receiver preferred to play elsewhere.

Marshall recently admitted during the Darrent Williams’ murder trial that he “probably escalated” the disturbance outside The Safari Club in the minutes prior to Williams suffering a fatal bullet wound to his neck on Jan. 1, 2007. Willie Clark is the man accused of shooting Williams.

I’ve gotten a couple of questions over the past few days about how The Denver Post is covering the murder trial of the man accused of killing Bronco player Darrent Williams.

Here’s how this whole thing works.

The trial proceedings are happening in a courtroom on the fourth floor of the City and County Building in downtown Denver. In Judge Christina Habas’ courtroom, basically all electronic devices are prohibitted, especially cell phones. Accreditated reporters are allowed to have a laptop computer (one per news organization) but it must have internet capability disabled.

Cell phones are banned, and anyone caught with one in the south end of the fourth floor of the courthouse — even if it is off — will be kicked out and not allowed to return for the duration of the trial.

Denver Post courts reporter Felisa Cardona and sports columnist Dave Kreiger are watching and reporting on the trial from inside the courtroom and are adheering to all of these rules.

An audio feed is being piped in live from the court room to the city council chambers just down the hall. This is where I have been — and will be — for the duration of the trial, along with reporters from the local television stations, and the only place where we are allowed to write live updates for the internet. Hopefully you’ve been following along at DenverPost.com with our live updates, as well as on Twitter, at @DenverCourts (as well as some Bronco-related updates) at @PostBroncos.

There are no cameras of any kind allowed in the court room, though there is an artist sketching most of the witnesses (the judge has ruled several cannot be sketched, per judge’s orders). In council chambers, there are video monitors so we can also see video and photographic evidence.

The council chambers also serves as overflow seating for members of the public that want to listen to the trial. It has at times been almost completely empty save for us reporters. Right now, however — during the most boring portion of the preceedings of the week — it is quite crowded. Go figure.

DENVER — As Broncos star receiver Brandon Marshall’s name continues to pop up in witness testimony at the Willie Clark murder trial, here is one thing that is important to remember:

While using the word “star” to describe Marshall now is entirely accurate and appropriate, it wouldn’t have been back on Dec. 31, 2006.

At the time, Marshall was 22 years old and had just played the final game of his rookie year. He caught only 20 passes and two touchdowns that season. The Broncos’ star receivers at the time were Rod Smith and Javon Walker.

While Marshall’s physical stature – at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds –certainly makes him stand out in the crowd, he was hardly recognizable on the level that is he today, after three straight 100-catch seasons and back-to-back Pro Bowls.

According to several witnesses, Marshall and especially his cousin from Pittsburgh, Blair Clark, were part of the confrontation that preceeded the murder of Darrent Williams. Witnesses have said Blair Clark sprayed a bottle of champagne at midnight on New Years Eve, angering some gang members who were also at a party at The Shelter nightclub. Witnesses said Blair Clark and Marshall also engaged in a verbal argument with Willie Clark and Daniel “Ponytail” Harris. Prosecutor Bruce Levin, in his opening statement on Tuesday, said Marshall “disrespected” Willie Clark when he “palmed” Clark’s head outside the club.

The victim in a bar-fight incident Saturday night has decided not to press charges against Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department has closed its investigation on the matter.

“”It was determined there was not enough for us to show probable cause to continue with the investigation and we have closed the investigation,” said Hilda Sorrow, public information assistant for the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

Stephen Anderson, an 18-year-old University of Georgia freshman student, filed a report Monday claiming he was knocked unconscious Saturday night by Moreno during an altercation inside the Bourbon Street Bar in Athens.
Anderson admitted to police he was drunk and had details of the fight told to him by friends. Anderson was treated at a local hospital for a concussion.

Moreno had attended the University of Georgia until he was drafted last year with the No. 12 overall pick by the Broncos. He led all NFL rookies with 947 rushing yards season. He also scored a rookie-best 9 touchdowns (7 rushing; two receiving).

Although, Moreno has been cleared, the timing of the incident couldn’t have been worse. He was allowed to wear the No. 27 for the Broncos after he personally asked permission from Rosalind Williams, the mother of slain former Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who had worn the number in 2005-06.

And then in the same week the Darrent Williams’ murder trial revealed a bar fight allegedly escalated into a shooting that took his life, Moreno is involved in a bar fight.

In this April 24, 2005 file photo, Oklahoma State cornerback Darrent Williams smiles as he holds a Denver Broncos' jersey bearing his name at a news conference. Brandon Marshall, Elvis Dumervil and DJ Williams are on the defense’s list of potential witnesses in the murder trial of Willie Clark, the man accused of murdering Williams on Jan. 1, 2007. (Ed Andrieski, The Associated Press)

DENVER — Current Broncos stars Brandon Marshall, Elvis Dumervil and DJ Williams are on the defense’s list of potential witnesses in the murder trial of Willie Clark, the man accussed of murdering Bronco Darrent Williams on Jan. 1, 2007.

Jury selection for Clark’s trial will begin later this week, with the trial expected to start Tuesday. The trial is expected to last at least two weeks.

Other potential defense witnesses with ties to the Broncos are Javon Walker, Karl Paymah, Nate Webster and Demetrin Veal, all former Broncos who were Broncos in 2006. There are 63 people on the list of potential witnesses provided to the court by defense attorney Abraham Hutt last month.

The Broncos played their final game of the season — a loss to San Francisco on Dec. 31 — and a number of players attended a party that night. Clark is accused of firing shots into the limo that was carrying Williams and others, including Walker, after leaving the club.

Comments Off on Marshall, Dumervil, other Broncos could testify in murder trial

New Year’s Eve night is a tough time at Dove Valley. Three years ago, Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was slain in a drive-by shooting. Williams had just left a downtown Denver nightclub around 2 a.m. New Year’s Day and was riding in the backseat of a limousine when a fatal bullet struck his neck. Willie Clark has been charged with Williams’ murder and is awaiting trial.

The Broncos players were reminded this week of the dangers inherent with the New Year’s Eve celebration.

Williams would have been finishing up his fifth season with the Broncos, providing the team didn’t allow him to reach free agency after last season. For all the changes from top to bottom that occurred inside the Broncos’ organization in those three years, I think Williams would have been still been the Broncos’ starting right cornerback had he still been here on Earth. Fast, aggressive and loaded with personality, D-Will would have been Josh McDaniels’ kind of guy.

It’s basically an impossible task and Paymah, a fourth-year player who is making his fourth start of his career, is in a really tough situation. Unless he comes up with some major plays, he’ll likely take heat.

Here’s some more stuff from Paymah that didn’t make it in the print edition.

– On what makes Champ Bailey so good, beyond just Bailey’s physical skills:

“Champ is like a 7 year old out there, just playing a game for fun. He’s not worried about the contractual aspect of the game, or if he looks bad or how he’ll be judged. That’s how you want to play the game, you just want to go out there, react and have fun. A lot of people have other stuff on their mind, like they don’t want to mess up, and you don’t want to play like that, that’s how you mess up. You just want to play the game free. I pride myself in playing free, but there’s a lot of stuff you have to worry about that I have to put aside when I’m playing.”

– On his 2005 Draft Class. Paymah was the second of three cornerbacks drafted by the Broncos that year, behind second-rounder Darrent Williams and ahead of fellow third-rounder Domonique Foxworth. Paymah is the only drafted member of the Class of 2005 still on the team (OT Erik Pears joined the team that year as a rookie free agent from Colorado State):

“When we first came in, we knew at some point there was going to be trouble, but it was like, whatever, we’ll just worry about that when it happens. We just went out and took advantage of our opportunities. Darrent was in, Fox was in, then I was in, it was fun just competing. We all made each other better.”

Paymah said Williams was the toughest of the bunch, mostly because he was small and “and felt like everyone would come at him,” Paymah said. Foxworth was the “effort guy,” he said. Paymah described himself as “physically, the specimen guy, that I mean, when he has his head right could be one of the best guys out there, the most dominant, but its more mental, just knowing what you’ve got to do and going out and executing.”

In Denver, we all have to feel for the folks in Washington D.C. We all know exactly what the Redskins and their fans are going through in the aftermath of the shooting death of star safety Sean Taylor.

If people in Denver tried to find some type of positive development in the post-Darrent Williams world, it was the hope that somehow this would never happen again. The league and its players fought hard to try to keep their players safe. And now Taylor is gunned down essentially while he is sleeping in his bed in his own hometown.

Guess it was naïve to think it could never happen again. But for another 24-year-old NFL player to be killed less than a year after Williams’ senseless death is heart breaking.

Sometimes it’s easy not to focus on the individuals of the game, the people not the player.

We all get caught up in who is doing what’s right and who is doing what’s wrong on the field. We forget about the men in the helmet. Well, there’s one Broncos player fans should appreciate for who he is off the field as much as what he does on it.

Third-year cornerback Domonique Foxworth is a special guy. Denver is lucky to have him here as much for who is as what he does.

For the past two years, the Broncos have had to endure way too much pain and tragedy. It seems if there is a sad story in the NFL, it has involved the Broncos.

The latest chapter of heartache came during the Broncos’ thrilling 15-14 win at Buffalo when Bills tight end Kevin Everett was paralyzed while tackling returner Domenik Hixon on the opening kickoff of the second half. Even in the midst of their jubilance, many Broncos took time to show concern for Everett.

Hixon was emotional about talking about the play in which Everett was hurt, and hero Jason Elam started his press conference by wishing Everett well.Read more…

Going into this week, everyone was a bit apprehensive about coming to Texas again.

It was Darrent Williams’ home. The Broncos embrace the memory of Williams, but coming back to the Dallas/Forth Worth area brings back thoughts of the 24-year-old cornerback’s funeral and his Jan. 1 death.Read more…

We can safely assume the Broncos have never had an offseason that ran the scale as this one. It began less than 24 hours in when cornerback Darrent Williams was murdered on Jan. 1.

It would get worse before it got better. Several coaches were fired or demoted.

The Broncos pulled off trades for cornerback Dre’ Bly and defensive tackle Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson, only to have those players balk at playing for a perennial playoff contender. They traded away quarterback Jake Plummer for a draft pick, only to essentially watch that deal melt into meaningless with Plummer’s retirement.Read more…

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.